Cheestrings
by fan village
Summary: Michonne Stevens is a high flying professional from Atlanta. Rick Grimes is the humble hard working Sheriff Deputy of Kings County. How do these two very different yet very similar people cross paths? P.S this is my first ever fic so I would really appreciate reviews/tips/feedback and just general conversation! Tell me what you'd like to see and anything else!
1. Encounter

_I. Encounter_

It had been a long day at the office for Atlanta's new district attorney Besides the swarm of colleagues introducing themselves and the mindless chit chat, Michonne Stevens managed to squeeze in some alone time basking in the luxury of her 2nd floor office.

The modest yet inviting room offered privacy with a touch of flair. Just like its new recipient. With caramel coloured blinds and a plush white sofa she made the most of her last hour on the job. Always alert, she took a brisk walk of the parameters to see if any visitors would be making themselves known. It was her first day after all. Peering through the windows of the main lobby she saw a group of men engaging in a hilarious conversation judging by the wide grins on their faces and a couple women clearing their desks ready to leave. She smiled inside, feeling a pinch of guilt about avoiding the men and women genuinely pleased to have her working with them.

Sauntering back to her office, she locked the door and proceeded to skip out of her mahogany pumps. It was the middle of spring and so she dressed light wearing an understated white blouse tinged with floral elements tucked into a long maxi skirt. It wasn't business attire but Michonne Stevens didn't stick to the rules when it came to her clothes. Besides, she was obeying the laws of fashion. Upon entry to the building, she almost burst out in rapturous laughter at the receptionists outfit but she reigned in her unintentional glee at the woman's misfortune look.

She firmly sat down on the 3 seater and decided on loosening up her joints to get fully relaxed doing some basic yoga stretches. Letting her brunette dreads free, Michonne laid back and closed her eyes and instantaneously, they were open again.

Shit.

In a flash she sat up and aimlessly looked for a clock, her phone or something to tell her the time. She found her smartphone and it was off. "Great" she muttered. Impatient, she tapped her hands on her lap making a light drum beat as she waited for the device to come to life. The bright lights signalled the phone was on and her eyes widened. 5:45pm.

"Fudge sticks!" she paused then laughed at herself, "wow I really said fudge sticks huh". Snapping herself together, she quickly got her things and left.

She was meant to pick up her cheerful 5 year old Andre from his fathers at 6. Knowing his apartment was several blocks away she momentarily relaxed, but realised she was going to be late. It took every grain of determination in her to lift that phone up and call the father of her child. Locating her Mercedes, she made a quick dash and got in the car scrolling down to Mike Anthony. She pressed call and waited.

"Michonne?" his voice clear and a bit too sharp for her liking, she breathed in and calmly replied.

"Mike I'm going to be a bit late." She waited hearing nothing but the cogs turning in her ex boyfriends mind.

"Okay", he spat out, "He's had his dinner but he keeps asking me for something called cheestring, you know what that is?". Michonne smiled. It was Andre's favourite snack and something she was once obsessed with herself. She cleared her throat and answered cheerfully.

"Actually I do" taking a moment to realise how happy she sounded, Michonne replied with less zeal. "If he's being cranky tell him Mama's on her way with cheestrings if he can behave for his Daddy". He absorbed her request and responded casual.

"That's cool. So don't worry about the late thing and yeah I'll let him know about his cheese stuff" a loud yell was heard in the background. Andre was clearly tired and Tired Andre ironically was also Loud Andre. Michonne smirked enjoying the fact Mike had his hands full with their son. Despite being present all of Andre's life, Mike surprisingly knew little about his boy's quirks and joys. He never missed late night feeds but somehow struggled with how to make him laugh. Michonne ready to drive forgot the phone call was still going on and abruptly returned "bye" before hanging up and tossing the phone on the seat next to her.

At a traffic junction, she noticed her tank was running low on gas. "Great just great" she mumbled. Swiftly, she made a stop for gas and proceeded to pay when she spotted the convenience store also had a dairy section.

"I'm sorry one moment I'm just going to grab something" she said to the acne plastered teen serving her as she signalled to the refrigerated section.

"Okay" he croaked. Walking amidst the tiny isles she grinned reaching the cheestrings knowing how happy they were going to make her little Peanut.

As if the whole world was moving in slow motion, a fairly calloused hand came out of nowhere above her shoulders and grabbed the last packet. The smile vanished from her face and she quickly spun on her heels to see the man who beat her to the cheese. Almost bumping into his chest she backed away into the aisle knocking some products down.

"Great just great" she breathed out in frustration. Reaching down to help her pick up the products, she almost forgot about the man in front of her.

"Sorry for startling you" he said, his voice thick with bass and genuine regret. She noticed his pronounced southern accent nonchalantly replying,

"It's nothing".

That was a lie. She was pissed. But he didn't do anything wrong and she was just gonna have to hurry up, pay the oily faced teen, and go. Grabbing the last box of butter on the tiled floor, her hand grazed his and she looked up for the first time to see the face of the man who in her mind, stole her baby's precious cheestrings. She chided herself internally for getting so worked up about it but all thoughts seemed to vanish as she took in the stranger's appearance.

His face was ruggedly handsome, sporting a salt and pepper beard that did nothing to diminish the pull of his aqua eyes. Lacing his face was a few stray curls that rested perfectly in position. He wore a tight black shirt and plain blue jeans but gave off vibes far from simple. Something was odd. Before this man could catch on to her staring she quickly withdrew her hand and stood up smoothing the crinkles in her blouse. The man stood up with the butter placing it back on the isle, oblivious to the multitude of unknown feelings he put in her from just a simple touch. He picked up his basket and turned facing her to apologise again, but on meeting her warm brown eyes he lost the words. Confused with why he was so nervous, Rick Grimes peeled his eyes to the floor and gathered himself.

"I'm really sorry." Silence filled the air making it harder to speak. He lifted his eyes to her face but they ended up sweeping over her body, taking in every little petal on her blouse. Reaching her face he realised she was intently looking at him and he felt blood rush to his cheeks. Noticing she was trying to hide her upset by plastering a fake smile on her face he confidently began.

"I was meaning to get these for my boy" drawing out the sentence when Michonne jumped in.

"Me too, but it's fine don't worry" she reassured, gesturing with her hands to signal it was cool. Rick extended his hand outwards with the packet sighing.

"How funny is that? We've both got sons mad over this" peering closer he read the title in confusion "cheestring?"

Michonne chucked at the sound of the word in his thick accent. Rick puzzled at her contained laughter felt proud for diffusing the tense situation. Before regretting it, he opened his mouth.

"My names Rick, by the way" and almost immediately blushed profusely. Why was this brief interaction causing his body to go into overdrive? He was about to scuttle away with his shopping before he heard her,

"I'm Michonne. And thanks I'll take your offer Rick." He liked the sound of his name on her tongue.

The poor teen coughed to get their attention and Michonne realised she kept him and more importantly Andre waiting. In a dash, she ran to the till and turned around yelling

"Thanks again Rick!" He stood still with a wide grin on his face, pleased with himself for making her happy and also baffled with his enjoyment of the situation. She paid for the cheese and gas and bolted out the shop on a mission to get to her boy.

Buckling her seat belt, she heard someone honking their horn and looked out the window to see Rick in his black SUV at the gas pump next to her. She waved enthusiastically taking in his boyish grin before speeding off.


	2. Family Ties

A/N: I really appreciate every single person who gave this story a read. I love being a part of such a warm, talented fandom and I hope to give you guys much more in the future!

This is a short update, but I promise you I'm building it and there will be some familiar faces in the upcoming chapter!

* * *

 _II. Family Ties_

Michonne paused to catch her breath before she knocked on the door. Nervous for some reason, she peered down at the cheestrings in her hand and smiled coyly at the memory of the southern gentleman who let her take them. Moments later the door swung open.

"Hey" said Mike, in his iron man shirt. A gift from Michonne on his 28th birthday. She knew the man's obsession with all things Marvel but she was more of a DC girl, boasting a large collection of vintage comics. Stepping aside to let her in, she walked through to the living room to see her peanut bouncing around on the floor watching Sesame Street. Mike closed the door followed her lead.

His apartment was the definition of a bachelor pad, but the living room was essentially the kid friendly zone where Andre could frolic with his toys and not stumble on some sharp tools or something similar. Mike had a similar eye for detail and his colour scheme was simple. Black and white furniture with the occasional pop of colour from Andre's own additions to the wall. Michonne approached the boy lightly tapping him on his shoulder. Instantly, he spun around and his eyes widened with excitement that grew with his toothy smile.

"Mama!" he shouted hurtling himself into her embrace. She lovingly wrapped her hands around her little man and ruffled his curly hair. His eyes were like chestnut in colour and the sun in warmth. Andre was the beacon of light in her life. Regardless of her relationship with Mike and how catastrophic it ended, she would always be grateful and glad they had Andre.

"How's my favourite boy doing?" she sang in a childish voice. Andre giggled. Mike took in the exchange and excused himself to ready the boys backpack.

"Mama I missed you". Those words broke her heart but she disguised her upset cheerfully responding.

"Mama's right here baby. She missed you too and she promises to never leave you this long okay Peanut?" she reassured the boy stroking his chubby cheeks until he nodded. Usually she had Andre for the week but starting a new job meant Mike was on dad duty the past few days as she adjusted to the change.

"I'm not a peanut" Andre spat out, trying to be angry but coming across adorably funny. She stepped away and raised her hands in defence.

"I know. You're my precious little boy Andre Anthony!" as she peppered her son with kisses while he fought her embrace.

"Ew!" Michonne looked at him wide eyed in fake horror. Her boy was growing up too fast. She still felt a pang of guilt from his earlier statement but got over it as she decided to surprise him with his beloved snack.

"Andre" she stated in her most formal tone. The boy instantly straightened and looked at his mother slightly confused. She couldn't keep the act up and a smile formed on her lips.

"Ta-da!" she whipped out the packet from behind her and the boy began to jump up and down with joy. He snatched the packet from her hands and then stopped before hugging her tightly.

"Mama is the best!" he cheered. She kissed the top of his head feeling smug with herself.

"That's right and don't you ever forget it!" Mike returned with Andre's possessions and the duo left the apartment singing along to the Sesame Street theme.

"Sunny day sweeping the clouds away!" they skipped in unison holding hands.

"On my way to where the air is sweeeeet!"

/

"Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?" Carl belted out, giving his father a welcome home performance, making sure to raise the pitch off key and crank up the volume. He spun around to see his Dad covering his ears for dear life and cracked up with laughter.

"That's what you get for missing my football practice!" Rick's heart sank.

Was it really today? He made a mental note to check the calendar before leaving for work. That was his wife's saving grace, her organisation. That and Carl. The pair had been happy go lucky teenagers that ended up as bickering adults in a loveless marriage. The only thread connecting the two at this point was their shared love for Carl.

"Why didn't you remind me at breakfast son?" with sorrow in his voice. Carl lowered his head and muttered.

"Didn't wanna bother you, you looked tired Dad". Rick took off his shoes and approached his son, kneeling down.

"Hey, look at me" Carl met his gaze. He breathed in before wondering how to word his feelings for the boy. He often struggled with his words, something his wife Lori constantly brought up.

"You know being the Sheriff Deputy means I do work a lot right?" Carl nodded.

"And you know I sometimes forget everything because your Dad's an idiot right?" Carl laughed and nodded. Rick looked down at his hands before continuing.

"I know I'm not the best father on Earth, but cut your old man some slack it takes time for bad habits to break."his voice slightly high pitched as he emphasised. "I'm planning on cutting down my time at work seeing as we got two new officers and now I've got that new phone, you know the Sam song?" Carl giggled correcting his technophobe father.

"Dad it's called Samsung" struggling to contain his laughter.

Rick was amused with the sound of his sons laugh. Carl was almost 12 and like most kids his age, obsessed with technology. Rick decided if he wanted to get in his sons cool book he had to discard his brick phone and step into the touchscreen world. That and his partner Shane's constant teasing made the switch that much easier. He continued.

"Well now I've got that, I can talk to you much more often and you can talk to me whenever you feel like it."

He chastised himself mentally for scheduling his professional development day to be the Monday of Carl's football practice. He decided on leaving his uniform and opted for regular clothes seeing as the training was held in the city, feeling embarrassed at the prospect of walking around in his cowboy hat amongst the urban dwellers. Even if he did remember, the hour long drive it would take to get back to Kings County meant he would have missed it regardless.

"Where's your mother?" Rick asked perplexed at her absence. On his arrival to the modest 3 bedroom house, Lori would usually be busying herself with something to avoid talking to him but she never hid her presence.

"Oh she said she was going to get some groceries. And cheestrings" he smiled innocently. It took Rick a moment to pull his thoughts together as they ran free with wonder. Cheestrings. His mind flashed back to his encounter with the stylish lady called Michonne. He pictured the indentations on her floral blouse and the way she rolled his name on her tongue. He began to zone out until Carl patted him on the shoulder.

"Dad? You okay?" Rick nodded. But then he realised where the conversation stopped and the fact his wife left their 12 year old son home alone without letting him know. Anger boiling in his blood Rick decided to leave his son to watch some TV and headed upstairs.

Lori was a lot of things but the woman was not a bad mother. Rick pondered on any possible reasons for why she left Carl unattended without at least texting him and decided to leave the situation. Carl was by all means growing up but Rick was a fiercely protective father. On his first day of school, Carl cried forgetting his stuffed giraffe at home and all the kids teased him. Rick took it upon himself the next day to turn up in his Sheriff outfit to warn the tiny people they would be messing with him if they ever bothered Carl again. He was almost a young man but the bubbling anger in his body came from the fact she didn't contact him.

The past few months, Rick was growing increasingly frustrated at Lori not speaking with him. He thought it was ironic she lambasted him for not being good with his words when she barely gave him any of her own. Changing into his grey sweatpants and a loose white shirt, Rick trudged down the stairs to enjoy whatever time he had left with Carl before Lori's return.

Plopping himself down on the dark brown sofa next to his son, Rick focused his eyes on the TV.

"My name is Barry Allen and I'm the fastest man alive" Carl said in unison with the voice emanating from the screen. Rick looked sideways and shook his head.

"The Flash?" he carefully asked. Carl slapped the pillow between them clearly offended.

"Dad you really need to get with the programme. Of course it's Flash!" Rick chastised himself for his uncertainty. He put more belief into his words and replied.

"Dude's from Marvel huh" Carl rolled his eyes to himself and groaned falling back against the sofa. Rick chuckled at the boy's dramatics. Carl had a passion for comic books and with the many franchises, all Rick could latch on to was the fact that they fought bad guys and had powers. Carl calmed himself.

"DC Dad." Rick raised his hands bowing to his son's superior knowledge causing the boy to laugh heartily.

Moments like this made Rick forget about the chaos in his work life and marriage. Moments like when he lost his cool over some cheese with a beautiful stranger. He imagined Michonne's son being happy and smiled. The two continued on watching TV as the sun set over the Georgian county.

* * *

A/N: Adorable right? lol what did you guys think of this teeny weeny chapter? I really miss seeing Rick and Michonne interact with Carl/Judith on the show. Like it's so minimal it's awful and I wish we could have seen more of Michonne with Andre in flashbacks. Praying for more Grimes 2.0 in season 8!


	3. Working 9 to 5

"Andrea could you get me a copy of the witness statements and forensic reports?" Michonne asked, flipping through her assigned case.

"Yes boss!" the blonde woman replied, with a cheeky smile forming on her face as she saluted her. Michonne shook her head at the woman's antics and went back to reading over her case.

Andrea was her closest buddy and her college roommate back when she was a doe eyed law student taking in the sights of New York, young wild and free. Both of them quickly built a rapport from sharing the same desire for justice and also from shared nights out on the town, which often involved Michonne holding Andrea's platinum hair back while she hurled all over the city. When she let her girlfriend know she was the new district attorney, Andrea gave her temporary deafness from the shriek she let out over the phone.

"Don't call me boss. Like ever" Michonne laughed while tossing her crisp dreads over her right shoulder. Her face resumed its seriousness as she glanced back down at her files. "This is really ugly."

Andrea stiffened from her relaxed pose against the door. She exhaled deeply "Yeah. I mean no matter how many of these cases we get it never stops being so…"

"Horrific I know" Michonne finished for her. "And she's so young" she sighed.

It was a sexual assault case with allegations of possible drugging. It was her 7th case of rape and Andrea's 4th but the novelty never wore off. The victim was Beth Greene, a 19 year old country girl from Kings County. Michonne flicked through the papers to see if she could find the name of the officers who arrived on the scene.

The man being held guilty by Kings County P.D was Negan Franton, a 37 year old used car salesman from Chicago. Michonne shuddered reading notes from the officers describing him as extremely aggressive and at the same time eerily passive. She was going to wipe the floor with him. The physical evidence and witness statements all corroborate the incident, and his alibi of being at the gym all alone in the middle of the night couldn't hold against her strong line of attack.

Michonne took great care in her work and even with cases that seemed straightforward she never let herself get cocky and so she often spent time going over details and building rapport with all staff involved.

Andrea turned to leave before Michonne quickly stopped her.

"Oh and Andrea, can you get me the names of the officers who found Beth? Thanks."

"Sure can do boss!" she yelled as the door shut. Michonne rolled her eyes, knowing the woman was never going to drop calling her boss.

/

Rick removed his holster and took off the clunky belt, dropping it on the steel filing cabinet with a thud. He sat back down onto his sturdy chair and began to rub his temples, the sensation forcing his eyes shut.

"Sheriff!" a familiar voice yelled from behind his desk. It was Shane his long-time partner and best friend. The man was built with clear indicators that he liked to work out. His hair was darker than Rick's and his eyes too, a certain shade of dark brown. Noticing his antics were not receiving attention the man eased up and spoke in a quieter tone.

"Hey man, you alright? You need anything?" Rick gradually took in his friends words and strung together a sentence groggily.

"I'm good. Could you get me the case files for Beth?" he stood up, feeling uncomfortable being at a lower position to his buddy while they chatted.

Rick inhaled deeply and then released tension in his chest. This case was close to his heart. And Shane's too.

Beth Greene was the youngest daughter of Kings County's adored vet Hershel Greene. The family owned land and often on his mother's orders, he spent the odd evening or two helping the aged man tend to his animals alongside Shane.

He was particularly close to Beth's older sister, Maggie. The woman was a fair bit younger than him but she shared the same sense of dry humour. The moment they discovered the teen behind the local service station was one he could never forget. He made a mental note to swing by and check on the Greene's later on.

"And I also wouldn't mind if you'd come grab some sloppy joes with me" said Rick in his regular upbeat drawl. Shane gave him a firm slap on the back and the two exited the building playfully slapping each other on the shoulders all the way to their squad car.

/

It was late afternoon and Michonne had just come back from an interesting lunch with Andrea at a nearby chipotle. Andrea was filling her in on her latest conquest, a young accountant named Spencer. Michonne cringed through her meal at the vivid details of her friend explored the kinky side of the shy man. She smiled to herself and shook her head ridding herself of the topic.

Andre. He attended a local nursery Monday to Friday and Michonne would leave work early to pick him up, taking whatever she had left with her home. It was one of the perks of being a senior member of staff. She controlled her hours and desperately wanted to make up for lost time when she used to work 60 hour weeks as a junior attorney in the early years of her career. Mike constantly berated her for how she spent more time at work than with their son. He wasn't much better either working full time as a high school physics teacher, but he often tried to stay with the boy as much as possible.

She decided on taking the case files and any paper work related with her in her folder and swiftly left, locking her office.

In the elevator, she stopped the doors seeing Andrea running and out of breath. She forced the doors apart and Andrea squeezed in panting. Michonne quietly giggled prompting Andrea to speak.

"What's so funny" she spit out pausing before opening her mouth again, "boss".

Michonne laughed harder refusing to rise to the challenge. Once Andrea had a bone to pick with someone it usually ended with Andrea having the last word. "Look just because you're this fit, leggy woman with killer abs doesn't mean you get to laugh at my fat ass running!"

"Hey!" Michonne warned. "You're not a fat ass. You just have the lung capacity of a grandma who smokes weed that's all" she replied. Andrea began scoffing preparing her attack before the doors opened. They made room for the young Asian man who scooted in. The two women locked eyes signalling that this conversation was not over. The elevator sounded and the duo proceeded to skip out before going at it. The young man relaxed as the doors closed but was privy to a glimpse of their dispute before freezing.

"Women are scary" he muttered under his breath.

Michonne and Andrea got carried away before they noticed eyes glaring at them from the reception. Andrea gave the woman at the desk her dirtiest look ever, causing Michonne to cackle loudly covering her hand to muffle the sound. Andrea let rip "Who the hell does she think she is giving me those eyes when she's wearing that dusty ass outfit?" Michonne began to feels tears falling out of her eyes and gathered herself.

"So I was giving my best Usain Bolt impression to get you these" said Andrea, passing her document. Michonne looked at the words as Andrea continued "Names of the officers on the scene. One Rick Grimes and a Shane Walsh". Michonne tensed. Rick. There was no way it was the same Rick, she reasoned. Wiping the tiny smile off her face. Andrea immediately picked up on her small moment of glee. She nudged her. "You know these guys?" wiggling her eye brows suggestively.

"Oh my God" Michonne deadpanned. "No I don't". It was true she didn't. But if her reaction to the name Rick was anything to go by, Michonne realised she should be hoping this man was everyone in the universe but the stranger she ran into. Remembering his southern accent and the fact this case came from Kings County, she did allow herself to leave some hope that it was him.

"I'm just kidding boss. We all know your parlour down low hasn't had any visitors since the last solar eclipse" Andrea breathed out. Michonne playfully kicked her and walked out waving at her scandalous buddy. "Tell the peanut I said hey!" Andrea yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Will do!" she replied, exiting the grounds.

/

Staring into his refrigerator, Shane peered around the empty space looking for a beer. He searched the vegetable compartments and found what he was looking for. "Shane Walsh you are a genius!" he yelled, proud of his foresight.

He usually took a beer with his dinner and knowing himself, he decided to hide bottles and cans all over the place. It was something that baffled and amused Rick who'd stroll into his bungalow to find him running like a headless chicken trying to locate his beer.

Walking back to his navy blue couch, he hopped over the back and landed comfortably on his side laid back ready to watch some football. Just as he popped the lid of the bottle, his phone began to ring. He huffed before sitting up to retrieve it from the table. He groaned with frustration before tossing the smartphone across his room onto another couch.

The game had reached its second quarter and the phone began to ring again. "For Christ's sake!" he shouted. He realised how loud his voice was and shut his eyes in frustration to calm down, trying not to gain his neighbours attention. He breathed in and slowly opened them before walking over to the other couch. He digged his hands in the side and pulled his phone out, dialling the number back.

"Hello?" said Shane with concern and irritation.

"Shane?" a female voice replied.

"I thought this was over." he replied. "It was a mistake on my part I shouldn't have taken advantage of you, you were in a rough situation and I'm sorry".

"Cut the bullshit Shane. We both know this is more than just a one night stand. I've seen the way you've been looking at me for a long time now. At the policeman's ball? When you danced with me your eyes were sparkling, and not from the booze for once." The woman stated with anger. "Look I understand you don't wanna accept this but you kind of have to."

"Wai- wait a minute what's going on?" Shane replied pacing back and forth running his free hand through his hair.

"Shane you need to calm down. We can make this-"

"For the love of God! It's over!" he exclaimed as his face began to flush.

"Shane I'm pregnant!" she blurted.

"WHAT THE FUCK LORI?!"


	4. Overlap

_IV. Overlap_

The sunset began to cast a warm glow over Hershel Greene's ranch. You could see soft pink and daytime blue merging together amidst the fluffy clouds. The stout man admired the view and a faint engine was heard in the distance. Rick Grimes pulled up towards the driveway and hopped out.

"Hershel" he said giving the man a respectful smile. "How's things going?" he asked. It was roughly 2 weeks since Beth got raped and the family were still reeling from the event.

The white haired man sat down on the steps of his porch and sighed. "It's tough, but we're all right beside her." He removed his hands from his lap and reached into his sides, retrieving a silver pocket watch. Rick eyed the object paying full attention.

"It takes time to heal" Hershel stated, his tone sombre and laced with pain. "I pray God gives her the strength to carry on with her head held high." He paused. "She's a smart girl Rick. She has ambitions." He fiddled with the chain of the watch and then placed it back in his pocket.

"She wants to be a vet." He smiled. "Follow in her daddy's footsteps".

Rick lowered his head in acknowledgement. Maggie had told him a couple months ago that Beth was getting really serious about the future. She decided on taking a gap year after high school to spend time on the ranch with the animals. And shadowing her father at work. She would have a couple months before classes begin and he couldn't imagine the array of thoughts going through the poor girls head. He sat down on the porch beside Hershel gazing at the sunset before facing the elderly man.

"We've got this case wrapped up and ready to go to trial". The man chuckled to himself, appreciating Rick's way of expressing his support. "They're handling the arrangements in Atlanta and I gotta say with all the evidence, it's looking to be a swift one."

Hershel stood up and Rick followed his lead. "So you wanna tend to the cows, or the horses first?" said Hershel challenging the Sheriff.

"How about I say hello to Betsy first." Rick replied. Betsy was his favourite piglet. The two men laughed and walked back towards the farm. A phone could be heard ringing from the car but as the two men continued the distance muffled its sound.

/

Andre wriggled around in his car seat to the radio as Michonne cruised through the morning traffic. The boy stopped for a moment and observed his mother switch lanes and then handle a few hazardous drivers with ease.

"Mama you drive amazing!" he said with wonder. "Better than Aunty Sasha playing Mario!" Michonne giggled. His latest obsession was Mario Kart ever since the bubbly woman got him the game for Christmas. "Don't tell her!" he quickly blurted out. Both of them laughed their way to the nursery.

Michonne dropped the boy off and watched him play with his buddies before giving a few thanks to the teacher, a middle aged woman named Carol Peletier. She sported short tresses of silver hair and was usually spotted wearing flannel cardigans. She smiled back at Michonne before occupying herself with the children.

In the car her phone rang. She sighed, knowing that it was Andrea. A court date was set a fortnight away and they were drudging through the menial tasks and formalities.

She waltzed into the building and signed in on her way to the main lobby. She made eye contact with Andrea and the woman dropped her things and scuttled out into the hallway.

"Hey I was just calling to let you know about the court date" Andrea said, focusing on the ceiling. Michonne knew about the court date. The cleaners knew about the impeding court date. She stepped closer to her comrade and poked her gently on the arm.

"You were going to give me a TED talk on Spencer's dick-ability right" she stated in a plain tone. Andrea caved in, surrendering in a fit of laughter.

"Okay yeah I was totally going to do that. But firstly I was going to ask you about the officers. You know the ones who made the reports?" Michonne nodded. "I was thinking since Kings County isn't that far away and since the notes aren't _that_ detailed why don't we take a road trip and visit?"

"Road trip?" Michonne questioned, clearly confused. Andrea rarely had her stumped for words but she was genuinely lost. "You mean you want us to go and liaise with the Kings County Police Department?" she said, rewording her assistant attorney's request. Andrea nodded.

"Mike has Andre tomorrow so there's no delay. Call their department first and notify them before we come knocking on their door"

"You got it boss!" said Andrea as she slunk back into the lobby. Michonne groaned.

/

It was almost pitch black when Rick entered his home. He heard the two boys shouting "touchdown!" before he looked down to see 2 pairs of sneakers. It was Duane Jones, his son's best friend. His father Morgan was the local doctor and a good friend of his, the two going way back to when he was just a fresh faced grad from police academy.

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he removed his boots and set off to find the boys. Before he could reach the staircase, a thin voice called out to him.

"Rick". He sighed internally but made sure to keep his face straight as he turned around.

"Yes Lori?" he asked. She sighed taking his genuine question the wrong way. Fidgeting with her fingers she sat down on the couch wordless. Rick took that as her answer and joined her. The woman was fairly tall, with long chestnut hair that seemed to move with every motion she made. She raised her light brown eyes to meet his before continuing.

"I must've called you about what, 4 times this evening? Where were you?"

"Hershel needed some help on the ranch." Rick replied. The blunt statement caused his wife to swallow before opening her mouth, closing it, and then opening it again.

"Listen. I know you're still hung up on that case but what about your son? Your family?" Rick felt bile rise up into his throat as he turned away from her gaze.

"That case? Do you understand a woman was raped? A woman close to this family and the entire town!" he said in pure shock and part anger, being careful to keep his voice low. "My son is currently having a blast up in his room with Duane so I guess the family you must be talking about is you."

Lori gasped before quickly trying to save herself." Look Rick I didn't mean it like that. You know of all people how much my heart goes out to them, Beth is like a little sister to me" she replied.

He scoffed, thinking if she was such a little sister to you then why are we having this conversation in the first place? Rick realised he was still in his uniform and decided it was time to cut their talk short since it was going absolutely nowhere.

"I'm going upstairs to get changed". Lori stood a fraction of a second after he did and grabbed his forearm in desperation.

"Rick you know I'm not talking about just this case. You always come home late and you missed Carl's football practice!" she cried out. Rick rubbed his eyes. It was true. He made Carl and himself a promise that he'd be around more so he felt slightly tired hearing it from Lori.

He put himself in her shoes and felt guilty. He rarely spent time with her apart from when they were having breakfast or going to bed. His heart felt a pang of pain remembering how close the two used to be. She was his best friend. It was no surprise to his parents when he said he was gonna marry her after high school. Carl being born was the pinnacle of their relationship and it's been on a steep decline ever since.

"Lori" he said wrapping his arms around her waist. She put her hands on his face and gave him a weak smile. "You know the reason why sometimes I might not be here. I don't wanna share what I see with you. You don't deserve that." The woman gave him a quick peck on the lips and unclasped his hands from her waist.

"I know. Now go get dressed Richie" she said in her usual bubbly attitude.

 _Richie_.

He hadn't heard that one in ages. Rick plopped up the stairs towards his bedroom before making a brief stop at Carl's.

"Duane Jones!" both boys whipped their heads around to see the grown man goofing around in his exaggerated country accent. It was their inside joke ever since Duane found out Carl's dad was sheriff deputy. He was obsessed with all things western and sighed at the man's antics.

"Not cool dad" Carl deadpanned, his eyes glued to TV screen. Rick laughed and put his sheriff hat on Duane's head. Judging from the sleeping bag and the clutter of video games on the floor, he was staying for a sleepover. Rick noticed they were playing Madden NFL 2017 and left the boys before shouting in the hallway.

"Duane! Kick his ass for me the next game!"

/

The beeping sound of a digital alarm filled Michonne's bedroom. She groaned into her pillow struggling to turn the thing off and got out of bed. It was 6:40 am and she planned on being in full control of her time that day.

She showered and exited the bathroom in her favourite blue grey robe, the alluring colour contrasting with her glowing dark skin. She called Andrea and told her to be ready by 7:30. After putting on lotion, Michonne was faced with the task of choosing her outfit.

Since they were going out of town for work she didn't want to risk coming down in her usual get up that consisted of bright colours with the touch of business. But then she also didn't want to come across as a try hard. Stop overthinking this Michonne. After rummaging through her closet she decided on a simple but stylish tailored nude suit with a pair of black pumps. She swept her dreads behind her neck into a pony tail and applied minimal makeup to give her that afternoon vitality at 7am.

Michonne arrived at Andrea's apartment. The building was located in the Virginia-Highland area and suited the woman down to the T. She often dragged Michonne and their girlfriends, Sasha and Rosita out for the occasional drink and chick flick in the district. That way when she had one glass too many, the journey home wasn't a long one.

"You ready?" Michonne asked, peering around the apartment. She noticed a few black bags beside the couch. "What are those?"

"I'm good to go. And _that_ is some trash that you're going to help me take out!" Andrea replied beaming. She grabbed her handbag and keys off the kitchen counter. Michonne rolled her eyes.

"I should've waited in the car."

Garbage handled, the two ladies travelled on the highway for a solid hour before reaching the modest town. "Welcome to Kings County" Andrea said, in an over the top southern male voice. Michonne shook her head and kept her eyes on the road.

"Just read me the directions please" she pleaded. It was too early in the morning to be fooling around for her, she barely got enough sleep the night prior for some reason, waking in the middle of the night.

"Whatever you say boss!"

Sometime before 9am the two women entered the station. They spoke to the officer manning the front desk and were told to wait in the seated area. Michonne tapped her hands on her lap impatiently and the light pitter patter sound soothed her ears. She switched her tapping, changing the rhythm of her drum beat and began to hum the Sesame Street theme song.

Absorbed in her own bubble, she failed to notice Andrea sat perpendicular towards her grinning in fascination. She stopped and almost stumbled noticing how close the woman's face was.

"Jesus Christ, don't creep on me like that!" she whispered. Andrea brushed her off.

"If you didn't have the most adorable nervous tick I wouldn't have to" she retorted.

Lost in their private conversation, Shane and Rick strolled into the vicinity. Rick was knackered, the result of manual work with Hershel the evening before. His eyes were darting all over the floor as the two walked, a weak attempt at shielding them from the harsh ceiling lights. Shane's eyes widened slightly on catching a glimpse of the blonde woman but in a flash he forgot the thought.

"You two are the folk from Atlanta right? The one's putting that son of bitch behind bars?" he enquired. Rick was about to reprimand his buddy for language before he raised his gaze spotting a familiar face. He cleared his throat.

"Michonne?" The slender woman lifted her head up at the sound of her name. _Holy crap it's actually him_. She stood up fixing her form fitting blazer before speaking.

"Nice to see you again Rick" in a pleasant tone. Andrea rose up looking back and forth between the two alongside Shane. She gave him a friendly smile before dropping her head down to collect her belongings. Shane nudged his silent partner.

"We bumped into each other the other day at some convenience store." He explained. "Fought over some cheese". Andrea chuckled in unison with Shane. A smirk appeared on Michonne's face as she listened to his tale of the events.

"I hope you acted like a man and gave the lady the cheese" Shane let out. Andrea agreed and Rick gave in and told the two what they wanted to hear.

"So how about we show y'all round our offices and we can get set up" said Rick fiddling with his belt.

"Sounds good to me" replied Michonne and the two took the lead, discussing details of the case while Shane cracked a few jokes with Andrea trailing behind.


End file.
